A Sweet Alternative to Sweets

If your child goes to daycare or preschool, they will inevitably consume more than their fair share of sweets on Valentine's Day and come home with even more sweets packed in goody bags from all their friends. You might be guilty of contributing to this over-indulgence too by baking cookies, heart-shaped muffins or giving those boxes of sweethearts candy.

How about giving Valentine's Day happies that are not edible on Valentine's Day, but will be a great parent/child project on a future day.

One idea is to give a heart-shaped cookie cutter with a cookie recipe attached for each child. Here are some cookie cutters:

• Heart Comfort Grip Cutter by Wilton for $2.99.


• Set of 6 Graduated Heart Cookie Cutters for $11.99 on Amazon.com. That's about $2 each if you give one to each child.


• Heart-Shape Cookie Cutter and Recipe Favors 12 ct. for $20.99 from Target. I think this is a wedding favor, but it would be great for Valetine's Day treats too. It even comes with a sugar cookie recipe already attached.

The silicone heart pans are a little more expensive, but would be a great teacher gift. Check out this one for $7.49 on Amazon.com.

Lots of these are available online or at Target and Wal-Mart, but check out craft stores too - Michaels, Joann's, Hobby Lobby. Shop soon so you don't have to scramble at the last minute or stress if they run out before you get there.

Here are some recipe options to attach to the cookie cutters: Super Easy Sugar Cookies from Easy Kids Cookie Recipe or choose your own cookie on Cookies for Kids from BetterRecipes.com.